CDC Adamant VB is the first CWRS wheat that provides resistance to both wheat stem sawfly and orange blossom wheat midge . Farmers can now access unsurpassed protection from insect damage without having to sacrifice top-end yields.
CDC Adamant Hard Red Spring Wheat VB stood out in 2022 with its standability to sawfly. It is the replacement for AC Lillian and offers higher yields than Lillian with similar early maturity and high protein.
CDC Adamant is a varietal blend (the majority of the blend >80% is CDC Adamant and the balance of the blend is CDC Bradwell). Varietal blends are the best defense we have against the wheat midge insect as the insect and require growers to sign a Wheat Midge Agreement - for full details see the Wheat Midge Stewardship website.
CDC Adamant also has resistance to Sawfly and while it is not a magic bullet (because like other sawfly resistant varieties, environmental conditions can affect how solid the stems are), it is the current best HRSW option for sawfly resistance. Also note that since this is a varietal blend, the refuge (< 20% of the blend) is the CDC Bradwell variety which is not solid stem so you still may see some cutting in the field.
See comparisons for Adamant vs other wheat varieties from the 2022 Saskatchewan Seed Guide below. Note that Adamant yields on par or above AC Brandon depending on the area according to the seed guide.
For more information on wheat stem sawfly and what to watch out for and strategies to deal with sawfly - watch this excellent video:
In general we have been very pleased with CDC Adamant. In most years, it stands up to sawfly despite challenging conditions. It isn't perfect though and like AC Lillian, environmental conditions can impact how solid the stem gets. It is our best tool in a spring wheat currently for resistance to sawfly.
Technical Bulletin
Get more details about CDC Adamant VB - Standing up to sawfly & wheat midge by downloading the latest technical bulletin.